Israeli lightly injured in stabbing attack at settlement in central West Bank

02/07/2018

4:44:17 AM

Updated on

02/07/2018

12:04:11 PM

Written by

i24NEWS

The knife used in a stabbing attack at the Carmei Tzur settlement in the central West Bank, February 7, 2018IDF Spokesperson

Zamaara spent 14 months in Israeli prisons in 2015, his father was allegedly arrested recently

An Israeli civilian was injured early Wednesday morning in a stabbing attack at the Karmei Tzur settlement in Gush Etzion, located north of Hebron in central West Bank. The Palestinian assailant was shot dead.

The victim, a 34-year-old civilian security guard, was lightly wounded in the attack. He was given initial treatment on the scene by Magen David Adom before being taken to Jerusalem's Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem.

Head of the hospital's orthopedic trauma center, Dr Ram Moshayov said that the guard was undergoing tests in order to determine if he would retain the full function of his hand, according to the Times of Israel.

Another security guard on duty at the time shot and killed the assailant. The attacker has been named by Palestinian media as Hamza Yosef Zamaara, 19, and reports suggested his father was recently arrested by Israeli Security Forces. He was also said to have spent 14 months in an Israeli prison in 2015.

Israeli army forces from the Etzion regional brigade began operations in the city of Halhul, located north of Hebron, where they reportedly raided assailants family home and interrogated his relatives.

“As they entered, a riot broke out in which rocks were thrown at the soldiers. The IDF troops responded with riot dispersal means and arrested one of the demonstrators,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement.

The attack comes as Israeli forces continue to hunt for an Israeli-Arab teen believed to have stabbed to death Israeli rabbi Itamar Ben Gal in the settlement of Ariel on Monday.

One Palestinian was killed and at least five others were critically injured by live fire on Tuesday in the West Bank city of Nablus as the Israel Defense Force (IDF) carried out raids in pursuit of the teen, who has been identified by Palestinian media outlets as Abed al-Karim Assi.

Tensions have risen since US President Donald Trump's controversial recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital on December 6 that sparked a string of stabbing incidents across the region, as well as an uptick in rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip.

Hamas leaders urged the Palestinians to start an 'uprising' or, in Arabic 'intifada' in response to what they view as a "flagrant violation of international law." Whilst Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has repeatedly condemned the move and has reiterated that Jerusalem is "not for sale."

At least 23 Palestinians have been killed since then, most in clashes with Israeli forces. Two Israelis have died in that time frame